The last day of 2016 offered the ACE expedition some amazing sights and scientific opportunities on the French island of La Possession in the Crozet Archipelago. Against all odds, on an island where there is an average of 300 rainy days per year, we were lucky to witness some sunshine, a huge amount of wildlife and interesting samples for many terrestrial projects.

One of those projects is the one led by Prof. Steven Chown from Monash University in Australia. Together with a local guide and his team, his day will be dedicated to sampling plants and insects on the island. Their objective? Analyse their genetic evolution in order to detect “aliens”, meaning species that have been introduced by humans over time and which are not native. Some species have been introduced incidentally whilst many types of plants of animals were introduced in purpose as potential food stock, such as pigs or sheep. Read Steven Chown’s project here.

Today, thanks to the conservation efforts of the French authorities in charge of the island (Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises – TAAF), much restoration work has been undertaken to reverse these processes. This results in a stunning surrounding for the very few visitors who have the privilege of witnessing it. “This is the good part of a scientist’s job!”, jokes Steven Chown before going back to his work.

A first flight had brought the Chief scientist and colleagues onto the island to clear the permits to do scientific work with the local authorities and organize the day’s work. But although this process went very smoothly, it was not the case of the landing back on the Treshnikov which proved very tricky in winds that have picked up in the early morning. The pilots discuss with the Chief scientist and the decision falls: this first flight of the day will also be the last one. Unless the winds drop drastically. On the helideck, disappointed scientists scheduled to head to the island are taking of the safety suits. Two persons have stayed behind at the base to coordinate the arrivals… Instead, they will enjoy the base’s hospitality and make the most of the island connectivity in order to prepare the next part of the expedition. And get ready to potentially spend New Year’s Eve at the base…

L’atterrissage de Sergio Augusto Sergio Augosto’s first landing of the day

However the anchor point of the Treshnikov in the sheltered Baie Americaine and the low density in the presence of penguins on a nearby beach open up a new opportunity that the island’s authority approves under the condition that local guides are present to channel and support the visiting scientists’ work. Access to the island will thus be organized by zodiac and the team of pilots consisting of Brieuc, Baptiste, Stéphane and Ben are quickly ready to bring teams to the island. This will allow a dozen scientists to conduct their work on the island and make of the most of the last day of 2016.

Once on the island, a meeting point is organised in front of the red cabin on the beach – the only sign of human presence in this bay surrounded by hills. The beach being far away from the base, the three local guides brought by helicopters will conclude the year by a three-hour hike back to the base. A warm thank you to them for their invaluable support and efforts!

Every group is busy with its own scientific sampling and protocols. Steven Chown is guided on snowshoes throughout the nearby hills onto a green hill and alongside a pristine lake before crossing a group of sea elephants. Around us petrels, albatross, king penguins and skuas are abundant. Around thirty species of birds can be found on Crozet, one of the richest collection in the world.

The last day of the year closes off in the best manner. The zodiacs pick up the science teams towards the mid-afternoon and a good-weather window even allows the two persons stranded at the base to join the rest of the expedition on the ship. The next morning, in spite of a very festive New Year’s Eve celebration, the teams will go back to the island for a last sampling mission before the Treshnikov raises its anchor to steam towards Kerguelen. What a splendid opportunity this has been! Happy New Year!